Contract language part of hold-up; earlier report said OK had been given

Now, it’s official. For the Clippers, their coaching search—long and bizarre though it was—is over. And for the Celtics, it is just beginning.

Doc Rivers will officially be the new coach of the Clippers, as the NBA has accepted a deal between Boston and LA that will send a 2015 draft pick to the Celtics. ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan first reported the league approval.

(UPDATE: MacMullan later corrected her report. She now says the league has not yet given its approval but will not stop the transaction from taking place. MacMullan also reported that language in Rivers' contract with the Clippers is still being worked out.)

That brought to a close a messy 10 days which originally began with the two teams discussing a megadeal that would have sent DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe to Boston as part of a package that would include Kevin Garnett and the release of Rivers from his contract.

The deal took a few forms after that, but ultimately, collective bargaining rules that prohibit players being traded for coaches stood in the way, killing the Garnett aspect of the trade.

The Clippers and Celtics might still want to consider a Jordan-for-Garnett swap, but that is unlikely to happen now that the league office is scrutinizing further moves between the teams. Commissioner David Stern has made clear he will veto any trade that even has the appearance of being connected to the move of Rivers to LA.

The Celtics allowed Rivers to go on the assumption that they were heading into rebuilding mode. But as of now, the roster still features 37-year-old Garnett and 35-year-old Paul Pierce. The Celtics have the ability to buy out Pierce and only pay him a portion of next year’s salary if they act before June 30, but Boston’s first choice remains dealing Pierce to an under-the-cap team for a second round draft pick or two.

That would land the Celtics a trade exception, which they would use to pursue a free agent. Among their targets will be Atlanta’s Josh Smith, a high school teammate of point guard Rajon Rondo.

What to do with Garnett is a thornier subject. Garnett has two years left on his contract, and he has a no-trade clause. He would have to waive the clause before any move could be made. While he would have waived the clause to play for the Clippers, he has not indicated he would waive it to play anywhere else.

Team president Danny Ainge not only is dealing with that, but he also has the small problem of finding a coach to replace Rivers, who had been the league’s highest paid coach and was with the Celtics for nine years. While proven veterans George Karl and Lionel Hollins are on the market, Ainge is expected to seek a young assistant coach who could bring along the rebuilding project.